The Texas measles outbreak worsened as a second unvaccinated child died due to the highly contagious virus.
According to CNN, US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Sunday, April 6, 2025, announced that he has arrived in West Texas after a school-aged child died while receiving treatment for measles.
Related: US CDC reacts to ongoing measles outbreak in Texas
Aaron Davis, the vice president of UMC Health System, told the BBC that the child died after suffering complications from measles and did not have any other underlying health conditions but was not vaccinated.
Davis stated, “This unfortunate event underscores the importance of vaccination. Measles is a highly contagious disease that can lead to serious complications, particularly for those who are unvaccinated."
Notably, it was the second death of a minor and third overall in recent weeks in the ongoing outbreak. Earlier on Thursday, April 3, 2025, an eight-year-old girl died because of a highly contagious virus that can be prevented with a vaccine.
Kennedy, who was facing backlash over his handling of the outbreak, in a post on X wrote, “My intention was to come down here quietly to console the families and to be with the community in their moment of grief. The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine.”
Furthermore, as of Friday, April 4, 2025, the number of measles cases reported in the southern US state during 2025 has risen to over 480, up from 420 earlier in the week.
